Road tests ahead for CVU lax boys (4/22/10)

The sun came out Monday and the Champlain Valley Union High boys lacrosse team made sure there was nothing but blue skies on their record in a 12-8 home trimming of visiting Spaulding High of Barre.

The contest was postponed from Saturday by rain.

“Essex High comes next,” CVU coach Dave Trevithick said.

The powerful Hornets were due in after press deadline Wednesday afternoon and expected to give the 4-0 Redhawks their biggest test of the young season.

Following that clash, CVU will be in St. Albans on Saturday for a 3 p.m. effort against the Bellows Free Academy Bobwhites and on the road again Tuesday against Middlebury Union High at 4 p.m.

In Monday’s triumph, the Redhawks bolted to 7-1 (halftime) and 9-2 leads before Spaulding, 1-0 coming in, made it somewhat close through the middle stages of the final reel thanks to a five-goal outburst by speedy junior attacker Tory Chouinard.

“We kind of let down on defense,” Trevithick said.

A couple of big plays prevented Spaulding from turning the contest into a burning crisis for CVU.

After the Crimson Tide had closed to within 9-4 with two straight scores and was threatening further mischief late in the third quarter, senior captain and defenseman Cully Milikin stole the ball deep in CVU territory; moments later, with 2:58 left in the period, Nick Hart fired a blue darter from the left side to end the Tide string. It was his second goal to go with a pair of assists.

But the persistent visitors then notched the first three tallies of the final reel to close within 10-7 with 7:32 remaining in regulation.

Jake Marston came front and center. Taking a faceoff out of a scrum at midfield, the CVU junior worked his way to the back of the Spaulding cage, made a quick move to the front and launched his second goal of the game (11 for the season) to give the Redhawks some added breathing room.

Moments later, at 6:52, Nathaniel Wells popped his second score after a Hart assist for a 12-7 edge.

Spaulding’s final pointer came with 20 seconds to go.

Milikin agreed that the Redhawks might have relaxed a tad once they got the big leads.

Gingras, who also has 11 goals in the Redhawks’ four games, notched five last Thursday in CVU’s 11-6 home victory over South Burlington High. Dee notched a goal to go with five helpers, while Marston potted two scores. Hart, Wells and Hiser added one each.